The Vatican drives German – more Volkswagens in the Papal States

The Vatican is going electric – and German. The electric papamobile is from Mercedes, Leo XIV likes to travel outside the Vatican walls in a dark VW hybrid and churchmen are transported in electric vans. Now employees are also to move around more sustainably. On Monday, the Vatican State signed an agreement to lease electric vehicles to employees in the medium and long term. The partner is Volkswagen Financial Services AG.

The Vatican City State wants to switch completely to electric cars by 2030. The first strategic partner for the project is the German car manufacturer Volkswagen. According to the Vatican, it has already delivered dozens of electric cars to the world’s smallest state. Parts of the Vatican police force drive fully electric models from Wolfsburg.

The Vatican City State is gradually expanding the necessary charging infrastructure. To date, 20 fast charging stations and two ultra-fast charging stations are available for employees. Like the entire Vatican State, they are to be supplied with their own solar energy. To this end, the Vatican is currently planning a large agricultural photovoltaic plant on an extraterritorial site on the northern outskirts of Rome. It combines the utilisation of agricultural land with the generation of solar power. There are already photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the Audience Hall and the Vatican Museums. (KNA)